Pipe hanger



Nov. 16, 1965 E. AMMANN PIPE HANGER Filed Feb. 25, 1964 INVENTOR ERA/$7- AMHA/wv BY MQ' ATTORNEYS 3,218,011 PIPE HANGER Ernst Ammann, Sirnach, Switzerland, assign-or to Arthur Schmid, Thurgau, Switzerland Filed Feb. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 347,208 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-62) Pipe-suspender types known so far comprise hanger rods or bands anchored in the ceiling of a room and provided with pipe supporting loops that are closable by means of screws. Assembly thereof is, as provided in practice, complicated and time-consuming; and further disadvantages, drawbacks and inconveniences are that such known pipe hangers cannot always be readily adjusted in height and without the use of tools, and they cannot be readily titted to the pipe diameter at the point of assembly.

The present invention relates to a hanger for pipes of any desired diameters, which permits of the suspension of a pipe at any desired spacing from the ceiling or the like and further per-mits attachment to the pipe without special means.

The pipe hanger disclosed by the present invention 1s distinguished by the fact that a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of embossments includes an elongated substantially hat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the free leg of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging elements and interlocking of said free legs and said shank.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a front view of the hanger,

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof,

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section on the line III- Ill of FIG. l in a larger scale, and

FIG. 4 depicts a modification of the hanger band.

The pipe hanger comprises a continuous band 1 made of sheet metal that either is stainless per se or has been rendered non-corrosive.` The Iband 1 is pliable as well as deformable and suitably is of 0.02 to 0.03 inch thickness. The band 1 further is provided with interengaging elements 2, 3, 4 formed by embossments 2 which comprise, on one hand, protruding bosses 3 and mating recesses 4 on the other hand, the latter being engageable by the former. n The lband 1 includes an elongated substantially dat shank 1 with an upper suspending loop S, the free leg 1 of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank 1', and a lower pipe supporting loop 6, the free leg 1" of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg 1 of the suspending loop 5. A hook (not shown) that is anchored to or in the ceiling may be inserted through the suspending loop 5. The free leg 1 of the suspending loop 5 terminates above the pipe R to be supported.

The vertical adjacent sides of the legs 1, 1 are interengaged in the range of a connecting sleeve 7 slid thereon, the knobs or bosses 3 being engaged in the recesses 4 of the adjacent leg.

The connecting sleeve 7 is flat and its wall is suiiiciently thick to be non-deformable, and its end adjacent to pipe R is flared at S to form an introductory throat 9 and thereby facilitate the sliding movement of the sleeve towards the pipe R to the locking position. The pipe supporting loop 6 is annular and receives the pipe R that is to be supported, and has a free leg 1 which in the locknited States Patent ing position (FIG. 3) contacts the lett-hand side of leg 1" from the outside.

In the locking position, as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the legs flat shank 1 and free legs 1 and 1 within the connecting sleeve 7 lie against each other, and the bosses and recesses are interengaged (FIG. 3) to form a rigid interconnection that withstands any normally arising tensile force. When the sleeve is moved upwardly towards the loop 5, to which end a certain force is required, the free leg 1 is set free and owing to its resilience snaps into the position shown by dots and dashes in FIG. 2. At the same time the free leg 1 also moves away from the free leg 1" owing to its resilience (see the dash-and-dot lines in FIG. 2) and the lower end thereof a'buts against the free leg 1. The pipe supporting loop 6 thereby opens partially and may be bent away from pipe R.

When suspending a pipe R, the connecting sleeve is positioned at the very top close to the bend of loop 5 and leads into the opened pipe supporting loop 6, to which end the free leg 1" is bent downwardly. The hat shank l and free legs 1" and 1"' then are pressed together by hand, and the connecting sleeve 7 slid downwardly over same. When puting the i'lat shank 1 and free legs 1 and 1 side-by-side, the bosses and recesses become interengaged, and the connecting sleeve 7 causes the members 1', 1 and 1 to interlock. The resilience of these united members, and in particular the tension proper of the free leg 1 deriving from pipe supporting loop 6, provides for holding the connecting sleeve 7 immovably in its locking position owing to the prevailing resilience within the sleeve, without need for any special locking or gripping means.

Vibrations cannot impair the positive lock inherent to the resilience of the assembled members 1', 1" and 1" within sleeve 7. The weight ot the connecting sleeve always makes the latter tend to slide downwardly into locking position so that even very pronounced vibrations cannot loosen the hold of the sleeve.

The pipe hanger shown and described may be prefabricated ready for assembly. It also is readily possible to detorm the hanger by the fitter for adaptation to existing conditions at the place of fitting.

When it is desired to lock and block the connecting sleeve in the position shown, the sleeve may he indented on one side by means of a sharp tool, whereby solely care has to be taken that such indentations be situated between the bosses 3 and the recesses 4 respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the band 1 of the pipe hanger may be provided with two parallel rows of engaging elements Z which again are formed by embossments and form, on one hand, transverse rib-like bosses 3 and recesses 4 on the other hand.

The pipe hanger 1 in certain cases could be made of a suitable plastic which has a certain inherent resilience and deformability, for example in the heated condition.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of ho'llkow embossments, said band including an elongated substantially hat shank with an upper suspending loop, the tree leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the tree leg of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging ele ments and interlocking of said tree legs and said shank.

2. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of hollow embossrrients, said band including an elongated substantially dat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the free leg ot which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagernent of said engaging elements and interlocking ot said free legs and said shank, said band being made or metal, and said embossed engaging elements being cross ribs uniformly spaced along the band.

3. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of embossments, said band including an elongated substantially iiat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the tree leg of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging elements and interlocking of said free legs and said shank, said band being made of metal, and said embossed engaging elements being cross ribs uniformly spaced along the band, said cross ribs comprising projecting bosses on one side and recesses on the other side.

4. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of embossrnents, said band including an elongated substantially flat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the free leg of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg ot the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said 'free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging elements and interlocking of said free legs and said shank, said band being made of metal, and said embossed engaging elements being cross ribs uniformly spaced along the band, said cross ribs comprising projecting bosses on one side and recesses on the other side, said connecting sleeve being substantially dat and of a wall thickness rendering said sleeve stable.

5. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of embossrnents, said band including an elongated substantially iiat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free lec7 or which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the free leg of which is directed upwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging elements and interlocking of said free legs and said shank, said band being made of metal, and said embossed engaging elements being cross ribs uniformly spaced along the band, said cross ribs comprising projecting bosses on one side and recesses on the other side, said connecting sleeve being substantially dat and of a wall thickness rendering said sleeve stable, the lower ends of the broadside walls of said sleeve being tiered outwardly to form an introductory throat.

5. A pipe hanger comprising a pliable continuous band having uniformly spaced engaging elements in the form of embossments, said band including an elongated substantially dat shank with an upper suspending loop, the free leg of which is directed downwardly and adjacent said shank, a lower pipe supporting loop, the free leg of which is directedupwardly and adjacent said free leg of the suspending loop, and a connecting sleeve mounted on and adapted to be slid over said free legs and said shank, thereby causing interengagement of said engaging elements and interlocking of said free legs and said shank, said band being made of metal, and said embossed engaging elements ybeing cross ribs uniformly spaced along the band, said cross ribs comprising projecting bosses on one side and recesses on the other side, said connecting sleeve being substantially flat and of a wall thickness rendering said sleeve stable, the lower ends of the broad-side walls of said sleeve being ared outwardly to form an introductory throat, and said band being provided with two rows of parallel engaging elements disposed side-by-side.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 545,775 9/1895 Clark 248-62 X 1,804,472 5/1931 Leslie 248-59 2,339,992 l/ 1944 Hohmeister 248-62 2,542,172 2/1951 Wola 248-60 3,049,326 8/ 1962 Otterson 248-59 FORElGN PATENTS 502,593 2/ 1920 France.

88,107 lll/1956 Norway.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PIPE HANGER COMPRISING A PLIABLE CONTINUOUS BAND HAVING UNIFORMLY SPACED ENGAGING ELEMENTS IN THE FORM OF HOLLOW EMBOSSMENTS, SAID BAND INCLUDING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SHANK WITH AN UPPER SUSPENDING LOOP, THE FREE LEG OF WHICH IS DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY AND ADJACENT SAID SHANK, A LOWER PIPE SUPPORTING LOOP, THE FREE LEG OF WHICH IS DIRECTED UPWARDLY AND ADJACENT SAID FREE LEG OF THE SUSPENDING LOOP, AND A CONNECTING SLEEVE MOUNTED ON AND ADAPTED TO BE SLID OVER SAID FREE LEGS AND SAID SHANK, THEREBY CAUSING INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID ENGAGING ELEMENTS AND INTERLOCKING OF SAID FREE LEGS AND SAID SHANK. 